Omaha buzz
A seller’s market
The popular pose outside Qwest Center on Saturday afternoon was the arm in the air with fingers extended to signify how many tickets one was looking to obtain. It was a seller’s market, though there didn’t seem to be many sellers around.
“None. I have seen none,” said 63-year-old Maurice Koch, a KU fan from Osage City, Kan., who was out before the early game hoping to get a seat to see the Jayhawks in the second game. “One guy came by and said they wanted $300.”
John Stowell, a 28-year-old KU fan from Kansas City, stood with his father, Bill Stowell, an Omaha resident, hoping to score a couple of seats.
“There are a lot more people out looking for tickets than there are selling them,” John Stowell said. “It’s not like there were a lot of Portland State or Kent State people here to begin with to sell their tickets.”
He said there was more ticket activity several blocks away in the Old Market area, but the typical asking price was $225-250 per ticket.
One man in a KU hat held a ticket up in the air as he made his way to the arena. He was quickly chased down by a man eager to buy it — but not quite eager enough. Apparently, the asking price for the one ticket was $500.
Though it’s quite possible the gentleman in the KU hat was just trying to gauge how desperate the people outside were for a seat, because he went into the arena without pawning his ticket.
Michael mania
While Wisconsin managed to contain Kansas State’s Michael Beasley enough (23 points, 13 rebounds) to end his season Saturday, the Badgers came away with plenty of respect for the freshman.
“You try not to let him catch it close to the basket because if he does, it’s not fair,” Badgers coach Bo Ryan said. “There should be some kind of handicap. He should have to wear like a 25-pound vest, or maybe not (be) allowed to jump over 42 inches or something.”
Wisconsin junior forward Joe Krabbenhoft was one of the three Badgers who split the primary defensive duties on Beasley.
“We watch ESPN. We watch games on TV, so we knew he was the best player in college basketball,” Krabbenhoft said. “I just had fun out there playing against him because I knew the whole world was watching. It was awesome. I shot (poorly), and I don’t even care. That was awesome. That was so fun.”
No fan of Badgers
Kansas State didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for Wisconsin between its first- and second-round NCAA Tournament games, but one Wildcat player was a little more familiar with the Badgers than the rest.
K-State junior forward Darren Kent is from Big Ten country and went to high school in Apple Valley, Minn.
“(I was) a big Gophers fan. Minnesota-Wisconsin is always a big rivalry — basketball, hockey, football, everything. So I never liked the Badgers when I was growing up,” Kent said.
Kent said he has a lot of respect for Wisconsin coach Ryan, but the 72-55 loss Wisconsin handed K-State surely didn’t help his feelings about the Badgers.
All good for Wefald
K-State president Jon Wefald exited the Wildcats’ dressing room, trying to put an upbeat spin on a season that had just come to a disappointing end.
“It was a good season,” Wefald said. “We went to the NCAAs. Won 21 games. We’ll be back.”
Wefald probably thought that 12 years ago, too. But K-State needed more than a decade to make its return.
Martin mum on refs
Frank Martin zipped his lip.
When the Wildcats’ Walker and Wisconsin’s Brian Butch were assessed double technical fouls with 13 minutes remaining in the game, Martin did his best to avoid saying anything he might regret later.
“I don’t speak on officials,” Martin said. “I don’t mean to be rude and not answer your question. They’ve got a hard job to do. They work their tails off to manage a basketball game that was extremely physical. But I don’t … you know.”
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